My Little Pony: Ignorance is Bliss
by TheSnarkKnight30
Summary: A detective pony named Sprinklejinx is set on a mission by Princess Cadence's sister, Princess Cloudstar. With the help of the mane six and her new friends Thunder Wing and Honey Flower, will she be able to find the Princess before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. (And I never will)

My Little Pony: Ignorance is Bliss

Everypony in Ponyville are celebrating Princes Cadence and Prince Shining Armor's wedding party. Apparently, Ponyville has some of the wildest parties in Equestria. I wouldn't know, because I've never been to one. I've been living in Fillydelphia for almost my entire life.

"Hey, You! Over there! I've never seen you here before. Everypony's my friend so it's really bothering me that I don't know you. What's your name?" A pink pony asks opening the front door.. I cringe. Out of everypony here, why me?

"You promise you won't laugh?" I ask.

"I won't laugh. Friends don't laugh at each other. My name is Pinkie Pie!" She says.

"I'm Sprinklejinx…" I mutter under my breath.

"Sprinklejinx! What a funny name!" Pinkie Pie says between chuckles. She rolls on the floor grinning at the ceiling.

"Ha, ha, ha…" I growl sarcastically.

"Don't worry, Sprinkles! I'm laughing with you, not at you." Pinkie Pie snickers.

"Have you seen Princess Cadence anywhere? I'm her student. I need to go see her if she's not too busy." I say.

"She's upstairs in her room." Pinkie Pie says blowing a party horn.

I knock on the princess's door. Shining Armor slightly opens it. I could still hear the sonorous music from downstairs.

"Do you need something?" He asks.

"Yes. I'm looking for my teacher, Princess Cadence." I say.

"She's not feeling very well. Why don't you go downstairs and join the party?" He asks.

"It's okay. Let her in. She's just the pony I'm looking for. She's a detective pony." Cadence says sulking on her bed.

"Is there something wrong, princess?" I ask taking a quick bow and sitting beside her. She sighs and turns her head the other way.

"Yes… It's my younger sister, Cloudstar. I miss her..." She says.

"You have a sister? What happened to her? If you don't mind me asking." I say.

"She went missing fifteen years ago when she was a filly. I just wish she could have come to the wedding." Cadence says.

"How did she go missing?" I ask.

"She was captured by Diamond Dogs. No pony knows where she is. Sprinklejinx, If it's not too much trouble, would you help look for her." Cadence says.

"I'll do everything I can to find her." I say.

"Thank you so much, Sprinklejinx." Cadence says.

"No problem. Congratulations by the way." I say. I hand her a nicely wrapped box with scented candles inside.

"These are wonderful. Thank you." She says.

"You're welcome. I'm going to go look for some clues." I say.

I take a look inside Princess Cloudstar's room. There is a silvery white Pegasus with a spiky black and yellow mane and tail. His cutie mark is a blue shield with a golden lightning bolt. He's about seven inches taller than I am and he has a strong build.

"Excuse me. What are you doing here, sir?" I ask. He quickly whirls around and stares at me with his blue eyes.

"Um, I can ask you the same thing." He says.

"Do you know anything about a pony named CloudStar?" I ask. He shutters when he hears her name.

"Yes, I was her guard." He says giving me a pleading stare. His ears and tail droop down.

"Did you see the kidnapping when it happened?" I ask.

"Yes… NO!" He says. I wish I didn't leave my shovel at my house.

"Well, were you or were you not a witness to the kidnapping?" I ask trying not to lose my temper.

"It's a long story." He says.

"Can you give me a straight answer?" I ask.

"Can you relax?" He asks.

"Did you just answer my question with a question?" I ask.

"Is that a problem?" He asks putting a smirk on his face.

"YES! It is problems now STOP IT!" I say.

"I'll tell you everything I know. When I was a colt I started being a play mate for princess Cloudstar. She was about three pony years old. She wasn't old enough to fly. She was always jealous that I was old enough to fly. She was a bit spoiled. She always had to have her way. One day she wanted to learn how to fly. She wouldn't take no for an answer. I kept telling her it was too dangerous but she wouldn't listen. She opened her window and jumped flapping her wings as fast as she could. She lost control and landed head first on the ground. I was too tall to squeeze through her little so I had to tell the adults what happened. By the time I came outside, the body was missing and I heard howling from a distance." He says.

"Was that so hard?" I ask.

"When do the questions ever stop?" He teases.

"They don't. That's the point of an interrogation." I say.

"Okay, Noseyhooves." He says.

"My name isn't Noseyhooves." I say.

"What is it, then?" He asks.

" Sprinklejinx…" I mumble. He points his hoof and burst out laughing. I scowl at the ground in embarrassment.

"Mine's Thunder Wing." He says wheezing with laughter.

"Seriously what's so funny about Sprinkljinx?" I ask in a flat tone.

"Nothing, Tinklejinx." He says.

"Very mature, Blunder Wing." I say rolling my eyes. "I better be going now." I say.

"Can't you take a joke? Come back! Where you going, Sprinkles?" He asks.

"I'm going home to get my shovel so I can dig through the Diamond Dogs tunnel and find Princess Cloudstar." I say.

"I'll go with you, Jinxie." He says. I moan.

"You better not slow me down." I grumble.

"Are you always this pleasant?" He asks.

"I'm only as pleasant as you are smart." I say bitterly.

"Ouch…" He says.

"You better be prepared for danger." I say.

"Psh! Danger, my hoof. I laugh at the face of danger. Danger is my middle name. I love livin' on the edge." He says stretching his wings in anticipation.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" I ask.

"If a puny unicorn like you can handle it, I sure can." Thunder Wing says.

"Watch it! I can bipity boppity boo you to the next week." I say through clenched teeth.

"You know what, you're okay. I like you, you're funny. I think this mission is going to be fun." He says.

"Missions aren't supposed to be fun." I say.

"When are we going to start?" He asks.

"Probably tomorrow. Everypony is at the party tonight. It would be too loud to interrogate people." I say.

We trot down the stairs to see what was happening at the party. Pinkie Pie is franticly galloping around the dance floor. She stops in front of Thunder Wing.

"Hey, Thunder Wing! Have you seen a short, chubby, minty green unicorn with freckles, and magenta tail, mane and eyes? She's wearing a little black bow in her mane and her cutie mark is of a black puzzle piece with bring green sprinkles on it." Pinkie Pie blurts out as quickly as she could. She sounds like she's saying a whole bunch of gibberish to me.

"I'm right behind you!" I say irritably.

"Oh there you are! I was worried sick about you. Why don't you sing the Pony Pokie with us?" She asks.

"The pony what?" I ask.

"Of course she will!" Thunder Wing says pushing me into the crowd.

"Take it away, Sprinklejinx!" She says giving me a microphone. The crowd giggles at my name. I stand awkwardly in front of the laughing crowd.

"Woohoo! Pony Poke!" I say half heartedly into the microphone. Then I gallop through the palace double doors.

"I'm sorry, Sprinklejinx." Thunder Wing says.

"Go be annoying someplace else." I say stomping my hoof.

"I just wanted you to have fun." He says.

"I had a blast." I say sarcastically.

"Sprinklejinx isn't that bad of a name. Sure, it's not as threatening as you make yourself out to be, but it's not too bad." He says.

"It's not that. I don't care if they think my name's funny. I'm just not a party animal. I didn't belong in there anyway. I was only here to see the princess. I'm just going to go home now."

"See you tomorrow." He says.

I go home and try to get some rest to prepare myself for the long journey ahead of me._ Cloudstar, Don't you worry about a thing ...I will find you, someday… _I think to myself as I fall into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

I wait outside Princess Cadence's castle with my sharpened shovel strapped to my back and my saddlebag loaded with my equipment. Thunder Wing is late. He better have a good excuse. I tap my hoof on the marble bridge impatiently. We should have been at the Diamond Dog's tunnel about an hour ago. I can't leave without him because I still don't know my way around Ponyville.

" How long have you been standing here?" He asks.

" An hour and twenty minutes." I say.

" Why were you up so early?" He asks.

" I always wake up at that time." I say.

" So, are you ready to go?" He asks.

" Of course I'm ready. Are you?" I ask. He nods, gallops across the bridge and takes off into the sky. I try to keep a close distance between us but his tail keeps getting in my mouth.

" Are you sure you know where you're going?" I ask.

" Of course I do I can see all of Ponyville up here. I have great navigations skills." He says.

" At least one of us does. I can't even find my way around my own house." I say. He takes a quick turn to the right and flies down three small hills. I hide my panting as I scamper underneath him.

" We're almost there." He says weaving between pine trees. I trip over a root and get back up to my hooves again.

" Where is everypony?" I ask.

" Nopony dares to go near this place. Are you afraid of diamond dogs?" He asks.

" Me? No. Of course not. Why would I be afraid of a bunch of slobbery, flea-bitten fur balls." I say. I gaze up at the giant mounds of dirt. The ground starts to tremble beneath my hooves and I hear a loud rumbling noise.

" What was that?" He asks.

" It was probably your stomach. We better start digging." I say levitating my shovel out of the strap.

" What's the matter, don't want to get your hooves all dirty?" Thunder Wing teases. He begins digging a hole with his front legs.

" The more dirt you leave on your hooves, the more muddy footprints I have to investigate. I don't want to contaminate the crime scene." I say digging deeper into the ground.

" Mares are all the same. They always don't want to get their hooves dirty." He says. I use my horn to levitate the shovel into he ground and get a giant scoop. Then I fling dirt at his cutie mark.

" Hey, Sprinklejinx! What did you do that for?" He asks as he shakes the dirt off his mane.

" It's a mystery." I say sarcastically.

" I think you're mad at me." He says.

" What was your first clue?" I say.

" I think it was when you tossed the dirt and-"

" That was a rhetorical question." I snap. I jab the ground with a shovel. It hits something hard. I pull a shimmering blue stone out of the ground.

" Hey! Thunder Wing! Come check this out." I say. I feel something else grab the stone and drag me into the hole. I get stuck from the waist down. I kick my legs around. An ugly dog like creature bites my ear.

" Thunder Wing! Get me out of here!" I say.

" What? I don't understand you. I'm going to get your head out of the ground. Just a second." He says grabbing my tail.

" Hurry up!" I say. The dirt collapses around my face and smothers me.

" It looks like I'm talking to your butt." He says laughing.

He tugs my tail again and I get launched backwards. I topple him over into the mud. " Thank you." I mumble swallowing my pride.

" No problem." He says kicking dirt into my face.

" That was my eye, you idiot!" I say totally forgetting to be grateful to him for saving me a minute ago.

" I don't want to hear any attitude from you. You owe me big time." Says the most annoying pony in Equestria.

" I'm never going to live this down, am I?" I say looking into the hole with a serious face.

" Probably not." He says shoving his whole head into the ground. " Sprinkles, I hear somepony down there."

" The princess?" I ask. He dives into the hole in the ground. I carefully squeeze my way down. A yellow earth pony with a lavender and orange mane and tail is pushing a kart of jewels. Tears are falling from her orange eyes as one of the dogs whip her flower cutie mark.

" Princess Cloud Star!" Thunder Wing says.

" She can't be the princess. She's and alicorn." I say.

" Oh, I guess you're right." He says. " We better sneak past them and get the real princess."

" Stop it! Please stop it." The earth pony weeps as the diamond dog strikes her once more.

" Knock it off, you big stupid mongrel!" I shout.

" This isn't any of our business." Thunder Wing says.

" That doesn't make it right." I say.

" Shackle them." The biggest diamond dog says. Four diamond dogs dart over to us with spiked clubs. Thunder Wing kicks one in the head. I gallop past them and use the sharpened edge of my shovel to cut the chain off the earth pony's neck.

" Behind you!" She screams. A diamond dog stands behind me on his hind legs with a club in his clenched paws. He lifts it over my head. I quickly turn around and stab him in the stomach with my shovel. I use my horn to float the bloody shovel out of his gut.

Three diamond dogs throw large rocks at Thunder Wing making him fall out of the air. I gallop after them and bash their heads with my shovel. Then Thunder Wing kicks them in front of the cart. I levitate the cart over their bodies crushing their bones under the wheels.

" What do you think of my shovel now?" I ask.

" I got to get myself one of those." He says.

" Thank you for saving me." She says smiling at me.

" Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" I ask.

" No. I don't mind." She says.

" What's your name?" I ask.

" Honey Flower." She says.

" Have you seen Princess Cloudstar?" I ask.

" No, I haven't. Sorry." She says.

" I guess we'll have to just find somepony who has." Thunder Wing says.

" I'll come with you." Honey Flower says.

" Are you sure that you saw diamond dogs capture Princess Cloudstar, Thunder Wing?" I ask.

" I'm not entirely sure. It was so long ago." He says.

" The diamond dog king would know." She says.

" Where is he?" I ask.

" In the bottom of the tunnel. He counts his jewels there." Honey Flower says trotting forward.

" If you help us beat the diamond dog king, Sprinklejinx and I will gladly help you find a way out." He says.

" Sprinklejinx? Why did your parents call you that?" She asks.

" My magic controls luck." I say.

" That's a great name." Honey Flower says walking ahead of me. I slow down a bit.

" What is it, Jinx?" Thunder Wing whispers.

" She's nice… Too nice… She might be up to something. I can see right through her sweet little disguise." I say.

" Umm, Sprinkles… Did it ever occur to you that some ponies aren't like you? I think she's cute." He asks.

" I guess you're right. I can't judge her too quickly, but I'm on to her." I say.

" I think he's just friendly." He says trying to catch up to Honey.

" There he is!" She whispers. I slowly creep behind him and smack his head with the shovel knocking him out cold. We tie him in his own ropes and wait for him to wake up.

" So how did you get here?" Thunder Wing asks.

" I was planting tulips all over Ponyville and when I started planting seeds at the mine, the diamond dogs grabbed me and dragged me under the ground. Then they forced me to push carts full of jewels for them for a year." She says.

" That's awful." I say.

" Did you ever try to escape?" He asks.

" Once or twice, but then I suffered the consequences. The only pony I know that escaped was Rarity." She says.

" Look he's waking up!" Thunder Wing says.

" Where is Cloudstar?" I ask sounding intimidating.  
" I'm not telling you." The king says.

" If you don't, Sprinklejinx is going to beat you with her shovel." Thunder Wing says. The diamond dog kind cackles. I jab his stomach with the shovel and twist it around in his intestines. Thunder Wing notices a deep bite mark on my ankle from the previous battle.

" Are you alright? Does that bite mark hurt? Can you walk on it?" He asks.

" We're supposed to be interrogating me, remember?" I ask.

" Where is the princess?" I repeat.

" Ow! Stop! Okay! Alright! She escaped three years ago." He says.

" Where?" I ask.

" I don't know. She'll be no use to you anyway." He chokes. I yank the shovel out of his stomach as he yells out in pain.

" She might still be alive. We better keep moving." I say retracing my steps to the exit of the tunnels.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

I lead every pony out of the dimly lit tunnel. We each take a few jewels with us because the diamond dogs all ran away and probably won't be coming back. I crawl through the exit and take a deep breath of fresh air. Honey Flower puts a hoof over her eyes.

" It's…It's… So bright." She says as her head emerges from the hole. Her mouth hangs open. "Look at the sky, everypony. It's so beautiful. Look at all the pretty grass, trees and flowers." Her eyes fill with tears of joy.

"It is nice, isn't it? So many ponies take all of this scenery for granted." Thunder Wing says.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but we don't have much time to sniff the roses. We have a princess to find." I say.

"Jinx, where should we go next?" Thunder Wing asks.

"I think that we should take a bath." Honey Flower says. Her yellow coat is covered in mud for the years of being underground and her body is sweaty from pushing carts.

"Okay, we'll go to my house and get cleaned up, but be quick about it. I don't want to lose too much daylight." I say.

We trot over to my house and wipe our hooves on the welcome mat. I show them to the bathroom. Honey Flower turns on the water and hops in the bathtub.

"Where are we going next?" Thunder Wing asks.

"I think we should ask people if they've seen the princess and look for clues. If that doesn't work we might have to go to the graveyard and dig up skeletons. If the skeleton has a horn and wings it might be the princess. I'll have to get permission from the mayor." I say.

"That's disgusting." He says.

"There were a few skeletons of ponies in the Diamond dog tunnel, but none of them look like it would belong to her. They're already dead you might as well dig them up." I say.

"Do we even have any clues?" He asks.

"I found a feather on her bed. It might be from the pillow so I'm not sure if it's a clue or not. And I found a golden hair on her pillow." I say.

"That might be my hair." He says.

"I dusted for hoof prints last night. I found a few small ones but her hooves have probably changed by now. Nothing seems to be adding up yet." I say.

"Maybe we should find more ponies to help look for her." He says.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." I say. Honey Flower comes out of the bathroom. Her mane is no longer tangled and her hooves and her yellow coat is clean.

"You look great." Thunder Wing says.

"Thanks." She says.

I hear something hit my window. We gallop outside to see what it is.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"That's my friend Derpy Hooves, she lives in Cloudsdale." Thunder Wing says.

"What happened to you?" Honey Flower asks.

"I saw Thunder Wing so I went to go say hello but I didn't see the window and then I fell and then a unicorn asked me who I am and then Thunder Wing introduced me and then you asked me what happened to me." She says.

"Is she going to be okay?" I ask.

"Yeah she flies into worse things." Thunder Wing says.

" I'm just glad she didn't hurt herself too badly." Honey Flower says.

"I'm just glad she didn't break the glass. That stuff can cut you in a billion pieces and it's a real pain in the flank to clean up." I say.

"What are you doing here, Thunder Wing. I was looking all over Cloudsdale for you." Derpy Hooves says.

"I'm just helping my new friends; Sprinklejinx and Honey Flower solve a mystery." He says. Did he just call us his friends? "We need to find princess Cloudstar."

"Can I help?" She asks.

"Sure you can." Hone Flower says.

"Where have you been?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"I found Thunder Wing. I'm going to be a mystery solver." Derpy Hooves says.

"You mean like a detective?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"Yeah, I'm going to find Princess Loudcar." She says proudly.

"I think you mean Cloudstar." I say.

"Wait, isn't she the mare who won the best young flyer competition and did a Sonic Rainboom to save her friend." He says.

"Yes, I am. Didn't you meet the Wonderbolts?" She says.

"I was going to be a Wonderbolt but I turned them down." He says.

"You did WHAT?" Rainbow Dash says.

"I didn't want to quit working for Princess Cadence." Thunder Wing says.

"I'd give anything to be one of them." She says.

"Why don't you help find the princess? I'll put in a good word for you with the Wonderbolts." He says.

"Sounds great, I'll have my friends help you out too when you need it. Just meet me at Sweet Apple Acres tonight at eight thirty, okay." She says.

"No problem." I say. Thunder WIng and Honey Flower nod in agreement.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own My Little Pony

Thunder Wing shows Honey Flower and I how to get to Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow Dash and Derpy Hooves are nowhere to be found. A tall crimson earth pony is pushing a plow across the field. Maybe I should talk to him.

"I was supposed to meet Rainbow Dash and her friends here; do you know where I could find him?" Thunder Wing asks.

"E-nope." He says turning his head the other way.

"Do you know who princess Cloudstar is?" I ask.

"E-yup!" He says shaking his head.

"Do you know where we could find her?" Honey Flower asks.

" E-nope." He says. He makes a break for it and comes back with a basket of apples.

" I don't want your stupid apples! I want answers." I say pointing my hoof at him. He hunches himself over and his ears flop down.

" You ain't gonna get any information out of him?" An orange earth pony with a brown hat says.

" It's about time we crossed paths again. I haven't seen you in two chapters. How are you?" Pinkie Pie asks.

" Pinkie, stop breaking the fourth wall. It freaks out the original characters." A violet unicorn says.

"What's the fourth wall?" Honey Flower asks.

" I'm not really supposed to tell anypony." The unicorn says.

"Why? Is Cloudstar hidden behind the fourth wall?" I ask.

"Can't we just tell her, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"No. There are things for us to know and for nopony else to find out." Twilight says. I'm going to find out what the fourth wall is if it kills me.

"What are we here for again?" Derpy Hooves asks.

" We're helping Sprinklejinx, Thunder Wing, and Honey Flower find princess Cloudstar." Rainbow Dash says.

"I think I might have read about her in a book. Wasn't she captured by Diamond Dogs?" Twilight Sparkle says.

"They're not so tough. You just have to put them in line, that's all." A white unicorn with a purple mane says. I'm guessing she is Rarity because she's the only pony known to escape from them.

"She's Princess Cadence's sister." I say.

"Princess Cadence is my brother's wife. I should do some more research, right away." Twilight says.

"We should split up and search around town." The orange mare says.

"Good idea. Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy will go look all around town. You three should take Pinkie Pie, Derpy Hooves, and I to the Everfree forest. We'll all meet back at Sugar Cube Corner when we're all done." Twilight says.

"Alright every pony, let's go." Applejack says.

My group trots over to the Everfree forest. I've never been there before. The trees are tall and eerie. It looks like ponies can get lost here all the time.

"Be careful. This place is dangerous." Twilight says.

"Stay on the path. We don't want to get lost." Honey Flower says. Suddenly I hear an echo of a crying child.

"I think I hear something." I whisper.

"I don't hear anything, Sprinkles." Thunder Wing says jumping in a puddle and splashing me.

"It might be the little voice in your head. I get them all the time. They tell me to eat candy before supper." Pinkie Pie says.

"It sounds like somepony is in trouble." I say.

" I think I hear it too." Derpy Hooves says fumbling into the sky. She takes to the sky and disappears behind a cluster of trees.

I gallop after her franticly. "Stop!" Honey Flower shouts. I skid to a halt in front of a patch of blue flowers.

"What's the matter?" I ask.

" You almost stepped in that poison joke." Honey Flower says.

"What's poison joke?" I ask staring at the plants.

"It's a plant that play a prank by messing with your body." Honey Flower says.

"I'm glad you know so much about plants." Thunder Wing says.

"Just jump over the poison joke." Twilight says.

"I hope Derpy Hooves didn't step in it already." I say.

" I found the princess." Derpy Hooves cheers.

" What?" I ask.

" I found her." She says pointing at a little pink earth pony wearing a crown. She's sitting alone in the grass sniffling.

" That's not the princess, that's my niece, Diamond Tiara." I say.

" Well, she's a filly and she's wearing a cloud." Derpy Hooves says.

" She was almost four when she went missing. She went missing fifteen years ago. She's at least eighteen now." I say.

"We're not looking for a toddler." Thunder Wing says.

"We're not?" Derpy Hooves asks scratching her head.

" Wearing a crown doesn't make you a princess. She's not even an Alicorn." Twilight says.

" What's the matter little mare? I'm gonna cheer you up." Pinkie pie says squeezing Diamond Tiara.

" I ran away from home because my daddy yelled at me for calling Apple Bloom a Blank Flank. She deserved it. Now I'm lost, cold and hungry." She whines.

" Everything's going to be okay, The boogie stallion isn't going to get us?" Pinkie Pie says in a squeaky voice. Diamond Tiara whipes her hooves over her ruddy swollen eyes.

" The boogie stallion is just an old ponytail. We'll take you home." Twilight says.

" I don't want to go home. I'm not going anywhere with you. I can take care of myself! Go away, aunt Sprinkles." She says dashing through the trees.

" Diamond Tiara, Come back!" I say trying to catch up with her.

" She's heading right towards the poison joke." Thunder Wing says.

" Hurry!" Honey Flower says. She lowers her head and smells the light blue flowers. Not knowing what they are, she opens her mouth.

"Stay away from that plant. It'll hurt you." I say.

" I'm not a loser like you. I'm not afraid of anything." She says stuffing six of them in her mouth. " See, nothing happens." She says through her spotted lips. Her mouth begins to swell up and her lips look like fish lips. I hold in my laughter as I drag her out of the poison joke by the tail. " What's happening to me?" She asks.

" You're lips are swollen. If Zecora gives you a nice warm bath you should get better." Twilight says.

"I'm thirsty." Diamond Tiara says sounding muffled.

" I think I saw a stream nearby." Thunder Wing says carrying her in his arms and soaring into the sky.

" Where are you taking me, you big stinky idiot!" She screams.

" I see where you get your nastiness from." He says looking over at me.

" I'm nothing like her." I say. Thunderwing tosses her in the stream.

" This water is brown, muddy, and disgusting. I want clean water." Diamond Tiara says. " The water looks okay to me!" Thunder Wing says. A pony's body floats down the stream. She's covered in mud and motionless. Pinkie Pie screams and leaps on top of Twilight.

Every pony helps me drag her limp body out of the stream. She has a horn covered in her soaked mane and mud coated feathered wings. Can it be the princess?


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

We circle around the alicorn drenched with mud. " How long as she been dead for?" Thunder Wing asks. I take my thermometer out of my saddle bag and force open her mouth. I slide the thermometer under her hanging tongue. Her body is still somewhat warm despite her fur being cold and wet.

" A little under an hour. We're going to have to take her to a medical examiner to get an autopsy so they can inspect her body and find the cause of her death." I say.

I hear a soft gagging noise. Twilight Sparkle presses her hooves against her chest and water squirts out of her mouth.

" Eek! A zombie! Kill it, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie shrieks. Derpy Hooves kicks her in the face. She lets out a moan and five long deep gasps.

" How did thou find me here?" She asks in a thunderous tone.

" Princess Luna? What are you doing here? You scared the oats out of me." Pinkie Pie says.

" Nightmare Moon! She's going to make us suffer eternal night." Honey Flower screams as she gallops behind a tree.

" No she's not. She changed her ways quite some time ago." Twilight says. Honey Flower peeks her head past the tree cautiously.

" It's a relief that you're alive." Thunder Wing says.

" I'm sorry I kicked you, Princess." Derpy Hooves says.

" Tis alright, citizen of Ponyville!" Princess Luna says.

" What are you doing here, Princess Luna? Shouldn't you be at the castle?" Twilight says. She's right, maybe Princess Luna is a part of the kidnapping. Maybe she wanted to be first in line to be queen. That would mean she's after Cadence and Celestia too.

" I came here to look for a filly I saw in a vision. She ran away from home after she was punished by her father. I was much like her when I was younger. When I was trapped into the moon by my sister, Celestia I made horrible decisions. I wanted to talk to her before she ended up like me. I searched the Everfree forest for her last night. I figured I was too late so I decided to head home. On my way I slipped in the mud and fell into the raging river. The rocks were too slippery to hold on to and the water was too deep to stand up. I thank thou all for rescuing me." She says.

" It was no problem at all, princess." I say bowing down to her.

" The little filly is alright. We found her." Twilight Sparkle says.

" Huzzah!" She says. Thunder Wing carries Diamond Tiara over to the filthy princess.

" What are you doing here?" She asks.

" I am here to talk to you. Your father is worried about thou, Diamond Tiara. Thou shall go home. Your father loves thou very much. He does not want thou to leave." She says in her Canterlot speak.

" No! I won't go home! Daddy should have thought about that before he yelled at me. I'm not taking orders from a mud ball like you. " Diamond Tiara says stomping her hoof.

" Respect the princess. She came all the way here to find you. At least hear her out." Thunder Wing says.

" I'm tired to everypony telling me what to do. I ran away so I could do whatever I want, when I want. It's not fair. If my daddy really cared about me he wouldn't have punished me and made me cry." She says sprinting through the trees.

" I command thou to halt!" Princess Luna says. Diamond Tiara slows down for a few seconds and then she keeps running through the forest. I manage to catch up to her and grab her by the tail with my teeth.

" Ouch!" She whimpers as she stumbles onto the ground. Her swollen bottom lip trembles and she stares at me with fearful eyes.

" Diamond Tiara! Who do you think you are? You can't treat the princess like that, especially when she's just trying to help. Look at me when I'm talking to you! That kind of behavior is inexcusable. You need to say you're sorry. Do you understand?" I snap.

"I hate you. You're such a big fat meanie! You're the worst aunt ever! No wonder you don't have any friends." She screams as she spits in my face. What if Thunder Wing was right. Maybe I am just like her. I can't lose my cool. Not in front of them. Not in front of the princess. I pull her tail harder and raise my front hoof in front of her face.

" Listen to me, you spoiled brat! If you don't apologies to that princess right now, I'm not going to find the antidote to your poison joke." I say.

" Fine! I'm sorry." She says scornfully.

" Say it like you mean it. If you say you're sorry like that, you might as well not say it at all." I say.

" I'm sorry… I really am." She says.

" Sometimes, ponies need to be punished. It's not to make you upset. It's to make you learn from your mistakes and make you a better pony. Sometimes punishment can be hard, but giving every pony a hard time is not the answer. Sometimes, you may think you do not deserve the punishment you received but in the end, there's probably a good reason for it. Holding a grudge on your family is the worst punishment of all." Luna says stroking her mane.

Diamond Tiara wraps her front legs around Luna's muddy legs.

" I wanna go home. I miss my daddy." She mumbles.

" This is going in my letter to Princess Celestia." Twilight Sparkle says.

" Maybe you should stop by at Sweet Apple Acres and apologies to Apple Bloom too." Thunder Wing says.

" Why should I?" She asks.

" Well, how would you like it if you had no cutie mark and every pony made fun of you?" Honey Flower asks.

" I wouldn't like that at all." She says lowering her head in shame.

" These herbs I picked will help your swelling go down. Make sure to put it in your bathtub when you're taking a bath." Honey Flower says.

" And make sure to wash behind your ears." Pinkie Pie says flapping her ears back and forth.

" And don't eat the soap. It tastes yucky." Derpy Hooves says sticking out her tongue.

" Thank you." She says taking the herbs.

" I better be going. Princess Celestia is probably wondering where I am." Princess Luna says. Her horn glows and she disappears into thin air.

" How are we going to find our way back home?" Twilight Sparkle asks.

" That's easy. I took a stick and drew xs into the dirt so I'd know which trees we've already passed." He says.

Just outside the forest Diamond Tiara's father is waiting for her. I never really understood what my sister saw in him. He was always so stuck up but he always bought her nice things so I guess it all evens out.

" I promise I'll never run away again." Diamond Tiara says reuniting with her father.

" Is this really my daughter?" He asks.

" Yepperoni!" Pinkie Pie says.

" Thank you for finding my precious little pony, Sprinklejinx." He says.

" You're welcome." I say.

" Maybe you should baby-sit for me." He says. I shudder. I used every ounce of my self control to not beat her with my shovel for forty five minutes in the Everfree Forest. I really hope he's joking.

" We'll see what happens." I say trying to sound polite.

" She's such a sweet little angel." Honey Flower says to herself as she watches Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich walk away.

" Yeah." I sigh letting my ears droop down.

" Is there something wrong, Jinx?" Thunder Wing asks.

" No. It's nothing." I say looking at my hooves.

" Are you disappointed that we didn't find Princess Cloudstar?" Honey Flower asks.

" Not really. We have plenty of time to find her. At least Princess Luna is safe." I say.

" Diamond Tiara never apologized for saying she hated you. Did she?" Thunder Wing asks.

" She doesn't need to. Like you said, I'm the one who she got her nastiness from." I say.

" You're not that bad. You might be snarky and ornery, but it's in a funny way. If you really hated me you wouldn't let me go on your adventure with you. You tried to find Cadence's sister without being offered a reward. You have a big heart." Thunder Wing says.

" You risked putting yourself into danger to save somepony you didn't even know from the Diamond dogs." Honey Flower says.

" Do you want to stop at the Sugar Cube corner and get some snacks?" Pinkie Pie asks getting off topic.

" I can really go for a muffin." Derpy Hooves says.

" I guess we can meet the others there and we can talk about the evidence they gathered." I say.

" You really need to learn to lighten up a little, Sprinkles." Thunder Wing says.

" It's okay to take a break some times." Honey Flower says.

" I can't remember the last time I took a break." Twilight says.

It's nice to be out of the EverFree forest. I squint at the sun's bright rays of light as we trot on the path to Ponyville.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

Author's note: Sorry if this chapter took a little longer. Making a code by hand is harder than it looks.

At Sugar cube corner I buy two cupcakes. I eat the one cupcake and I keep the other in a box for Diamond Tiara. I am very proud of her for changing her attitude. I hope it lasts. I start writing the little clues that we found in a notebook with my quill.

" Hey, Sprinkles? Why does your mother call you Sprinklejinx?" Thunder wing asks.

" Each unicorn has a special gift. Mine is controlling luck." I say.

" My special gift is controlling beauty." Rarity says.

" Mine I control the Elements of Harmony." Twilight Sparkle says.

" I wish I was a unicorn or a pegasus." Honey Flower says.

" It ain't so bad bein' an earth pony. Ah like the way ah am." Apple Jack says tipping her hat.

" So, have you found anything?" I ask.

" We put wanted posters all over Ponyville. We didn't find any alicorns around." Rainbow Dash says.

" I'm… I'm sorry…" Fluttershy mumbles ducking underneath the tables.

" It's no big deal. Alicorns are one of the rarest creatures in Equestria. I knew from the start that this wasn't going to be easy." I say.

" We reported the information to the mayor. She says she's going to hold a meeting at town hall." Rarity says. Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom trot into the bakery.

" Hey every pony! I've been lookin' all over for yall. I betcha can't guess what happened today. Diamond Tiara said she was sorry for calling me a blank flank and she bought me a cookie." Apple Bloom says.

" How did that happen?" Applejack asks.

" Diamond Tiara met her match." Honey Flower says giving her the cupcake I bought her.

" Thank you." She says.

" You're welcome." We say.

" The Cutie Mark Crusaders are going to play at the Pony Park. See you later." She says.

" Something smells funny." Derpy Hooves says making faces at the reflection of her spoon.

" What do you know?" Rainbow Dash asks.

" Wait! I smell smoke. Pinkie! What did you do?" Twilight Sparkle asks.

" I figured if I turned the oven up twice as high the cupcakes would bake twice as fast." Pinkie Pie says.

" Stop, drop, and roll!" Derpy yells rolling on the ground.

" You only stop, drop and roll when you're on fire." Twilight says between coughs.

We gallop in the Sugar Cube Corner followed by a cloud of smoke.

" Is everypony alright?" Honey Flower asks.

" I think so." I say.

" Pinkie, aren't Mr. and Mrs. Cake going to be angry about their business?" Fluttershy asks.

" Nah! They're used to it." Pinkie Pie says.

" Citizens of Ponyville! May I have your attention? Fifteen years ago Princess Cadence's sister, Cloudstar, went missing after she was captured by Diamond Dogs. She has escaped so there might be a chance she's still alive. If you find her report her whereabouts immediately." The mayor says from behind her podium. Every pony struggles to get towards the front of the crowd to get a quick glimpse of Princess Cloudstar's wanted poster. I'm stuck in the back trying to peer over the tall stallions in front of me. I can only see a streak of her wavy golden mane.

I see a blur coming from the sky swiftly hitting the stage. The mayor ducks from behind the podium. A long pointed sphere gets imbedded into the stage. Every pony in the crowd panics and scrambles into a chaotic frenzy. My friends and I climb onto the stage to see if the mayor is alright. She lays on the floor frozen in fear.

" Jeepers, Mayor! Are you okay?" Derpy Hooves asks.

" I think so!" The Mayor stutters.

" Let's get that spear out of your stage." Rarity says levitating the spear out of the ground.

" What's that thingy?" Pinkie Pie asks.

" It looks like a note with a bunch of gibberish on it." Thunderwing says turning a slip of paper upside down.

" If what they said in the letter is a secret, why would they even write it to us." Applejack asks.

" The paper feels came from a maple tree." Honey Flower says.

" How do you know so much about plants?" Rainbow Dash asks.

" My father is a botanist. I took care of all the plants I his lab." She says.

" Let me see the note." I say putting on my reading glasses.

" Looks like a code letter." Twilight says.

" Looks like this guy has a lot of time on his hands." Thunderwing says.

" Maybe it's a letter saying that he wants his spear back." Pinkie Pie says hovering over my shoulder.

" The mayor is alright, every pony." Derpy Hooves says into the microphone on the podium. Her chin hit's the microphone and it falls off the stage making an awful screeching sound. " Oops!" She mumbles. I unroll the scroll of the code and read.

4-5-1-18 16-9-20-9-26-5-14-19 15-6 16-15-14-25-22-9-12-12-5,

9-6 25-15-21 5-22-5-18 23-1-14-20 20-15 19-5-5 25-15-21-18

16-18-9-14-3-5-19-19 1-7-1-9-14, 25-15-21 23-9-12-12 13-5-5-20 13-5

2-5-8-9-14-4 20-8-5 3-5-13-5-20-1-18-25 1-12-15-14-5. 9 23-9-12-12 2-5

23-1-9-20-9-14-7 6-15-18 25-15-21 1-20 4-21-19-11. 2-18-9-14-7 13-5

6-9-6-20-5-5-14 20-8-15-21-19-1-14-4 2-9-20-19 20-8-5 9 21-9-12-12

7-9-22-5 8-5-18 2-1-3-11. 2-18-9-14-7 1-14-25-16-15-14-25, 15-18

4-15-14'-20 2-18-9-14-7 20-8-5 13-15-14-5-25, 1-14-4 19-8-5

4-9-5-19. 4-15-14-'20 20-18-25 2-15 20-18-9-3-11 13-5. 9 1-13 19-13-1-18-20 5-14-15-21-7-8 20-15 21-18-9-20-5 20-8-9-19 3-15-4-5. 9 23-9-12-12 3-1-20-3-8

15-14 20-15 1-14-25 15-6 25-15-21-18 20-18-9-3-11-19.

" What does it say?" Thunderwing asks.

" I think I could figure it out. It seems like the numbers are one to twenty six. There are twenty six letters in the alphabet. I can probably solve this if I had a pencil to work it out on." I say.

" Why don't we go to the library and check it out?" Twilight asks.

" That sounds like a marvelous idea." Rarity says flamboyantly.

" Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Pinkie Pie says.

" Race you there! Ready!" Rainbow Dash says.

" Set!" Applejack says getting into position.

" Go!" Thunderwing says swooping past them. Thunderwing slows his pace and pants. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were way ahead of us.

" Ah gocha that time." Applejack teases.

" That's because Thunderwing got in my way when he was in the sky. I can beat you any day." Rainbow Dash says.

" We both win some and lose some. You beat me last time fair and square." She says.

" What's all that noise?" Rarity asks putting her hooves over her ears.

The library is right around the corner from town hall. It would be the perfect place for some code solving. I open the front door and the whole place is packed with mares.

" A party!" Pinkie Pie cheers.

" Umm… Twilight…" Fluttershy says softly.

" What is it, Fluttershy?" Applejack asks.

" Didn't we ask any pony who is or has found Princess Cloudstar to come to the library to collect their prize?" Fluttershy says. The mares swarm around us bickering over who the real princess is. We gallop over to a nearby restaurant. The first number is four. That means D. Five is the number after four. So that's an E. One is A. I'm assuming the word is dear and replace the eighteen with an R. The waiter walks over to our table just as I encode the first word.

" May I get anypony anything?" He asks. We each pick out something from the menu to eat. Getting Fluttershy's order is like pulling teeth.

" Do you have muffins?" Derpy asks. The waiter chuckles and accidentally spills hot coffee on my lap and the code. The burning brown liquid burns my thighs. He gallops away and comes back with napkins to wipe off the table completely ignoring my injury.

" We don't sell muffins here, but at least the mess is gone!" He says not even apologizing for spilling somepony's drink on my lap.

" And so is your tip." I say through my clenched teeth. The waiter lowers his head in shame and sulks in the kitchen.

" Can you still read the code?" Honey Flower asks.

" Yeah, kind of." I say. The waitor opens up the refrigerator and three cartons of eggs fall of the shelf and onto the floor right in front of his boss. The boss hollers at him for making a mess and takes off his uniform.

" Did you make that happen, Jinx?" Thunderwing asks.

" Not on purpose. I can't control my power. My emotions control people's luck . My power has a bit of a mind of it's own sometimes." I say solving the first two sentences. I make myself a map key on top of the page with all the letters horizontally and their numbers underneath. The farther I solve, the easier it gets. " I got it." I say.

"Dear Citizens of Ponyville,

If you ever want to see your princess again, you will meet me behind the cemetery alone. I will be waiting for you at dusk. Bring me fifteen thousand bits and I will give her back. Bring anypony, or don't bring the money and she dies. Don't try to trick me. I am smart enough to write this code. I will catch on to any of your tricks." Twilight reads out loud.

" Do you know what this means?" Honey Flower asks rhetorically.

" They're inviting us to an ice cream party?" Derpy asks.

" Ice cream? Party!" Pinkie says.

" I think it means that somepony has the princess." Thunderwing says.

" Wait! I think I remember this handwriting." Rainbow Dash says.

" From who?" Applejack asks.

" Gilda." Rainbow Dash says staring at the numbers.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony

" G-g-g-g-g-Gilda?" Fluttershy gasps putting her hooves over her eyes.

" Ain't she the griffon who used to pick on everypony?" Applejack asks.

" We should go tell Princess Cadence right away." I say pushing my magenta mane out of my eyes with my hoof.

" Which one of us will go to the cemetery to meet her? She said to come alone." Honey Flower asks.

" I should. I'm the only pony who could reason with her." Rainbow Dash says.

" What if this is some kind of a trap?" Applejack asks.

" I can put an invisibility spell on every pony else just in case something goes wrong." Twilight Sparkle says.

" How are we going to come up with the fifty thousand bits for the ransom?" Thunder Wing asks.

" We don't have that kind of money. We could probably just gang up on her an take the princess or see if Cadence could pay for it." I say.

Derpy knocks on the door with her hoof making a large hole in the wood. Then she opens the door so hard that the knob falls off.

" My bad…" Derpy Hooves says. She walks inside, slips on the doorknob and hits her chin off the palace tile.

Princess Cadence is sitting on her throne yelling at a black alicorn with holes scattered through her body.

" Why did you try to ruin my wedding?" Cadence asks her. Cadence's horn glows threateningly.

" I wasn't trying to wreck your wedding. You were in danger." She says.

" You put me in danger. You banished me the Crystal Cave and tried to take Shining Armor away from me. If you weren't my cousin I would have you put in prison forever." She says angrily.

" You don't understand. I received a threat letter from my younger brother King

Sombra saying that he was going to capture you like Cloudstar on your wedding day. I didn't want you to be captured so I disguised myself as you so he would capture me instead. I hid you in the crystal cave so he couldn't find you." She says.

" Queen Chrysalis, that makes no sense. Why would you risk getting yourself captured to save me?" Cadence asks.

" I wasn't only doing it to protect you. I wanted revenge on him. Long ago, when your sister went missing my servants and I started a search party to find Princess Cloudstar." Princess Chrysalis says.

" A search party!" Pinkie Pie shouts excitedly.

"Shhhh!" Rarity says putting her hoof over Pinkie's lips.

" He was always jealous of me because I have wings. He never liked me. I should have never trusted him. We decided to split up into two different groups. Everypony wanted to be on my groups so he got angry and filled the tunnel with lava burning everypony inside." She says.

" Do you think she burned in there too?" Cadence asks.

" I don't know." She says.

" Not if what's written in this letter is true." I say levitating it to Cadence. She levitates it in front of her face and reads it silently.

" It was found on the mayor's podium." I say.

" This just doesn't add up. What would Gilda want with fifty thousand bits?" Rainbow Dash asks.

" I guess there's only one way to find out." Thunder Wing says.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

We stand outside the gates of the cemetery. Twilight's horn glows and all my friends invisible. My mane billows in the bitter autumn breeze. I make sure the letter and the fifty thousand bits are still in my saddlebag. I open the gate and stare ahead. I can see graves from as far as the eye could see. Even though I know that my friends are right behind I feel like I'm alone. I wish I could see every pony.

" When I die, I hope some pony will plant lots of flowers by my grave." Honey Flower says.

" I don't want to be buried in the ground with all that dirt. I would want my body frozen into a statue." Rarity says.

" When ah die, ah want to be buried at home. There ain't no place I'd rather be than home sweet home. Maybe my body would help the apple trees grow." Applejack says.

" I want to be brought back to life as a ghost so I can scare every pony." Rainbow Dash says.

" I would want my body to be used for experiments. That way, people could learn from me even when I'm not alive." Twilight says.

" I don't care what happens to me after I'm dead but I don't want to die a long painful death. I want to die in my sleep or something." Fluttershy says.

" I don't think we're going to die. I'm ready to kick some feathery griffon butt."

" No pony dies in children's TV shows. They just put cemeteries in them for a creepy atmosphere." Pinkie Pie says.

" Pinkie! You broke the fourth wall again!" Twilight says.

" What is the fourth wall?" I ask stomping my hoof.

" Can we take care of one mystery at a time, Sprinklejinx?" Thunderwing says.

I see a shadow up ahead. The thought of some pony watching me lingers in my mind as I drag my hooves against the grass. I hear wings flapping through the night sky. I stop in my tracks and shutter. Every pony else stops and I hear a loud thud from behind me. My heart skips a beat. I swallow my fear and turn around. One of the graves are flipped over.

" Whoops! I forgot I had hooves." Derpy says from several feet away.

" Shhh! Be quiet. I hear some pony coming!" I say.

" Whaaaaat?" Derpy hooves says loudly.

" I have the fifty thousand bits you asked for. Now where's Princess Cloudstar?" I say.

" Show me the bits first then you may have your precious princess." Gilda says. I hesitate for a few seconds and then throw her the bag of bits.

" Now here she is…" She says in a maniacal tone. She lets out a loud call and a large flock of griffon cover the dark sky. I levitate my shovel into the air and swing it at Gilda. The tip of her beak chips off and falls into the grass. I give it a second swing knocking one of them right out of the sky. Four griffons dive from the sky with a sack trapping me inside. Then I feel a baseball bat hit me over the head and pain shoots through my head. I drift out of consciousness.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

I open my eyes and move my hooves over to my throbbing head. I hear a loud jingling noise and something stops my hooves from reaching my head. Then it hits me. I'm chained to a wall. To make matters worse, all my friends are chained up beside me. How could I have been chained to a wall. Where am I? I levitate the ransom note in front of my face. I hold it up to the light. Hoof prints can be seen on the corners of it as well as talon marks. That's strange, I levitated it around with my horn I never touched it with my hooves. There must be some pony else involved, but who?

" How did you guys get caught? You were invisible!" I say.

" I thought that we could ambush them. We were way outnumbered." Thunderwing says.

" I can't believe I got us all into this mess." I grumble.

" It's okay, Jinx! It's not all bad. Being chained is kind of fun. Jingle! Jingle! Jingle!" Pinkie Pie says thrashing about.

" Would you be quiet, Pinkie? I need to find us a way out of here." Twilight says.

" What's that foul stench! It's revolting!" Rarity says.

" It smells like dead ponies. I bet they trapped us in the mausoleum." Honey Flower says.

" Who do you think it belongs to?" Rainbow Dash asks.

" Somepony very classy. Only fancy ponies have graves above the ground." Applejack says.

" Maybe even royalty! Maybe Cloudstar's body really is in here!" I say.  
" What is that!" Fluttershy whimpers pointing at a dead earth pony lying on the floor.

" Look at all those flies buzzing around it!" Rainbow Dash says.

"Ew! What are at all those little worms crawling all over it? That's disgusting." Rarity says.

" They're maggots. They're baby blowflies. In a few days they'll go through metamorphosis. It looks like the eggs have just hatched. According to their life cycle, I think this body has been dead for almost ten days." I says.

" The poor little things. They're going to get eaten by those spiders." Fluttershy says.

" These kind of places are great for spiders to live. It's dark and full of bugs to eat." I say.

" I hate bugs!" Rainbow Dash says.

" Spiders are actually called arachnids." Twilight says.

" Whatever. If it's small and has too many legs it's a bug." Rainbow Dash says.

" Those pesky critters are always getting' all over mah crops." Applejack says.

" Oooh! Oooh! Remember the one time when Fluttershy infested our town with parasprites and I got rid of them by causing a marching band?" Pinkie Pie asks.

" Uh, no." I say raising an eyebrow.

" I don't think I recall that." Honey Flower says.

" Oh, that's because you weren't there when it happened." Pinkie Pie says.

" I smell something yummy." Derpy Hooves says.

" What? The scent of rotting flesh?" Rarity says.

" Noooo. Soup!" Derpy Hooves says pointing her hoof at Gilda holding a pot of boiling liquid.

" Soup? Why would any pony be making soup?" Rainbow Dash asks watching Gilda stirring vegetables in the pot.

" Something seems kind of fishy to me. We better get out of here." Thunder Wing says pulling the chains.

" Aren't you staying for dinner?" Gilda says licking her broken beak.

" I sure am. I love soup!" Derpy Hooves says.

" Don't you get it, Derpy! She's trying to eat us!" I say.

" You wouldn't want to eat me. I'm nothing but skin and bones." Rarity says.

" Let's add some carrots." She says cutting them up with her knife.

" I love carrots!" Derpy Hooves cheers through her watering mouth.

" Add some sugar!" Pinkie Pie says.

" Don't encourage her!" Twilight Sparkle scolds.

" W-wouldn't you rather be a vegetarian, like me?" Fluttershy asks.

" And be a puny little pipsqueak chained to a wall! NOT A CHANCE!" Gilda screams in her face. Fluttershy's ears flop down and her eyes close tightly.

" Leave Fluttershy alone!" Rarity says.

" How would you like to be my taste tester?" Gilda asks.

" I would rather eat worms." Rarity says spitting in Gilda's face.

" That could be arranged." Gilda says grabbing the knife in her claws and scooping the grubs out of the earth pony body. Rarity closes her lips as tight as a vice. Gilda pierces Rarity's stomach with the knife. Rarity screams and Gilda stuffs the grubs in her mouth. They crawl around in her cheeks. Gilda puts her claws around Rarity's neck trying to force her to swallow. Rarity heaves and gags as the maggots slide down her throat. Blood pours out of her wound and she vomits on the ground.

Fluttershy puts her hooves over her eyes and sobs.

" Rarity! Are you okay?" Applejack says. Rarity doesn't answer. She just cries softly.

" I am kind of your friend. Maybe we can sort things out. I'll give you money and stuff and you can let me and my friends go." Rainbow Dash says.

" I'm not in it for the bits. I just want the meat." Gilda says.

" What are you going to do with the ransom money?" Honey Flower asks.

" I have friends in high places. Do you actually think I'm enough of an egghead to think of that code myself?" Gilda asks.

" No. A birdbrain like you couldn't think of a plan that diabolical if their life depended on it." Thunder Wing says.

" You seem awful cocky for someone who is going to be squished like this spider." Gilda says stabbing a spider crawling on the edge of the pot with her claw.

" Spider! Where? Get it off!" Derpy yells as she squirms around. Her chain breaks and she drops to the floor. My horn glows and a beam of light hits Gilda. It looks like her luck just ran out. Derpy looks back at the broken chains. "Oops." Derpy Hooves looks inside the soup pot. " Do you need some help?" Derpy asks.

" Sure, why not!" Gilda says putting an onion into the soup.

" What are you doing?" I ask.

" Helping with the soup." Derpy says.

" Get us out of here!" Twilight whispers.

" Pass me the salt." Gilda says.

" Okay." Derpy grabs the salt shaker with her hooves. She trips over the earth pony's body and dumps the salt into her eyes. Gilda puts her wings over her stinging eyes and falls into the giant scalding pot of soup. Her body struggles under the cloud of steam.

" Derpy, put the lid on the pot!" Twilight says using her horn to hold her down with magic.

" What do you want me to do?" She asks.

" Put the lid on the pot." Applejack says.

" I don't know how." Derpy Hooves says picking up the lid.

" Think about it as a muffin. The lid is the top part and the pot is on the bottom." Honey Flower says.

" Now lift it up and put it on the top of the pot. Hurry!" Thunder wing says.

" The LID goes on the TOP of the pot?" Derpy says holding the lid upside down.

" Yes! Didn't your parents teach you to do anything?" I ask.

" No." Derpy Hooves says.

" I can't hold her much longer." Twilight says.

" Come on, Derpy! You can do it!" Applejack says.

" Go,Derpy! GO!" Pinkie Pie cheers. Every pony joins in and roots for Derpy.

Derpy sticks out her tongue and furrows her eyebrows in intense focus and puts the lid on the pot. Twilight relaxes her magic.

" Great job, Derpy Hooves." Rainbow Dash says.

" YOU DID IT! WOOHOO!" Fluttershy screams.

" I did?" Derpy Hooves says. Rarity smiles and nods. I levitate my shovel out of a casket and break the rest of the chains. I look at the casket lid. It has a dollar sign engraved on it. Filthy Rich!

" It's Filthy Rich's mausoleum. He wants the money." I say.

" Are you sure?" Thunder Wing asks.

" Positive!" I say.

" We better stop him before more ponies get robbed." Honey Flower says.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

I open the door to the mausoleum. It is bright, warm, and sunny outside. I must have been unconscious longer than I thought. I hear Rarity moan from on top of Thunderwing's shoulder.

" Is she going to be alright?" Honey Flower says nervously.

" I hope this bloodstain gets off my coat soon." Rarity says rubbing her wound with her hoof.

" I'm sure she'll be fine. The stab wound isn't that deep. We should get her to Nurse Redheart as soon as possible just to be sure." Twilight says using her horn to heal some of the cuts.

" Wait a second." Honey Flower says galloping over to a grave with yellow flowers. " Do you know what is good for a cut?"

" Salt?" Derpy Hooves asks.

" What is it, Honey?" Thunderwing asks. She takes the petals off the ground.

" These flowers are called Sunshine Daisies. They are used as painkillers and they can also reduce infection." She says sprinkling the pollen and the petals on Rarity's stomach.

" That's very helpful." Fluttershy says. Twilight grabs a tree branch off the ground and her horn glows. The branch disappears and a white cloth appears in it's place. She wraps it around Rarity's waist to stop the bleeding.

" That should do. I'm feeling much better, now." Rarity says.

" We're taking you home, and then we're going to go find Filthy Rich." I say.

" But I want to help you." Rarity says.

" You should rest." Honey Flower says.

" You will be helping us. We can't get into Filthy Rich's factory without a fancy disguise." I say.

" We'll probably need to borrow a few dresses. We promise to be careful not to get 'em all dirty." Applejack says.

" Won't they be suspicious if they see us snooping around his factory? Or are we going to be invisible again." Rainbow Dash says.

" Not at all. He works at a mints so lots of ponies go there for tours." I say.

" We're going on a tour? That sounds like so much fun. We can watch all the shiny coins go down the conveyer belt." Pinkie Pie says blowing a party horn. My ears go back to the side of my head. She giggles and blows on the horn again. My migraine still faintly lingers from the baseball bat. Pinkie Pie takes a super deep breath.

" Would you cut that out?" I ask. Pinkie Pie blows the horn one last time. The paper propels forward hitting me in the eye. " Do you want me to shove that thing down your throat?"

" No. I'm done now." She says smiling.

" This cemetery is huge. It's like a maze. I wish there was an easier way out of here." Rainbow Dash complains.

" I think I might know a short cut. Follow me. If you mares think you can keep up." Thunderwing says challengingly.

" What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow Dash retorts. Picking up speed.

" Let's see if yall can fly as fast as you can brag." Applejack says sprinting along side Rainbow Dash.

" There they go…" Fluttershy says unenthusiastically.

" Not this again." Twilight moans. We gallop behind through the cemetery and into the dress shop.

" Aw, ya got me!" Applejack says to Rainbow Dash in a playful tone.

" Better luck next time Applesmack." Rainbow Dash says. They both laugh in unison.

" I went easy on you." Thunderwing says opening Rarity's door for them.

" I should have known you knew your way to the dress shop." I say teasingly. Rarity and her friends use their old galloping gala dresses. Honey Flower finds a sparkly blue gown and tries it on in a changing room. I take a rufflely black and red dress that matches my bow and walk in the nearest changing room. I don't remember the last time I wore a dress. I walk out of the changing room to see how everypony else looks.

Thunderwing is in a dark blue suit and his mane is combed neatly. Honey Flower looks absolutely stunning in her gown.

" Honey Flower… You're beautiful." Thunderwing says.

" I'm not that pretty, but thank you." She says modestly. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Is she just saying that for attention?

" Can't you take a complement? Any mare would kill to look like you." I say reassuringly.

" I'm sorry, Jinx. You look nice too. Are you jealous?" Thunderwing asks. My jaw drops. Why would he think such a thing? I knew Thunderwing loved Honey Flower from the very start. Why would it bother me now?

" Not really. I don't really have time for that kind of stuff anyway. You're more like a brother to me." I say.

" I'm sorry. I guess I'm not used to getting compliments. All the things the Diamond Dogs said about me were negative." Honey Flower says.

" What kind of things did they say?" Thunderwing asks.

" I'm not special because I can't fly and I don't have any magic. I wish I had powers like Sprinklejinx or wings like yours." She says.

" That's not true." Thunderwing say putting his hoof on her shoulder.

" If it weren't for you, Diamond Tiara's lips would still be swollen and Rarity would have an infection." I say.

" I guess you're right." Honey Flower says.

" I'm always right." I say jokingly.

" Are you ready to go?" Thunder wing asks. Everypony nods and thanks Rarity for the dresses.

I stand outside the gigantic factory. A red earth pony with a blue mane is standing in front of the door with tickets.

" How many do you want?" He asks.

" Nine." I say.

" That's a pretty big group. What are you here for?" He asks.

" We want a healthy environment. So we want to make sure that there isn't too many fumes polluting the air in your factory." I lie as I hand him some of the bits we got after we killed Gilda.

" Go ahead in. Have a great tour." He says.

" Do ya think they're going to find out we ain't environmentalists?" Applejack asks.

" Don't worry about it. It isn't any of his business why we're here." Rainbow Dash says. We wipe our hooves on the welcome mat and trot inside the building. There are only four other ponies in line. They're a family of pegasises. They go through the double doors.

" I'm sorry. Only five ponies could go in the tour at a time." A green unicorn says. I levitate my shovel from under my skirt but then I stop. It's my sister, Clovermane.

" Clovermane?" I ask.

" Sprinklejinx? What are you doing in Ponyville? Should you be in Fillydelphia?" Clovermane asks.

" No. Princess Cadence sent me here. I came here to see where you work." I say.

" That's great. Pick three of your friends and go ahead in." She says.

" I'll bring Honey Flower, Thunderwing, Twilight Sparkle, and Derpy Hooves." I say.

" Have fun!" Pinkie Pie says waving goodbye.

Filthy Rich leads us inside of the mints. I stare at the machine. First the pots of gold are dumped in an oven to melt. Then they are hardened and pushed by a conveyer belt and crushed into a burning cookie cutter looking thing and made into their round coin like shapes. After that they are baked again and they engrave the dollar sign on it.

Clovermane walks inside and locks the door behind us.

" This is a mint? I thought that it was the thing that makes your breath not stink." Derpy Hooves says.

" What would you like to see first?" Fancy Pants asks.

" I want to see Princess Cloudstar." I say.

" We don't have Princess Cloudstar. That was just a scam to get people's money." He says.

" Don't you have enough money?" Thunderwing asks.

" No. Our profits went down almost ten percent this month. Less and less ponies want to go on tours because everypony has already seen the mints. I've been spending way to many bits living the fancy life." Filthy Rich says.

" Why don't you sell some of your junk?" Twilight asks.

" That would be a waste." He says.

" Not as bad as stealing." Honey Flower says.

" I'm glad the griffons warned me that you were coming. Now no pony will find out about my little secret." He says.

" Hey, daddy! I want you to meet my friends!" Diamond Tiara says prancing in with the cutie mark crusaders through the back door.

" Not right now. Daddy's busy." Filthy Rich says.

" Your father is telling every pony he found the lost princess and offering ransom money. He's stealing from everypony in Ponyville and feeding them to the griffons." Twilight Sparkle says.

" Sprinklejinx, is this true?" Diamond Tiara says.

" Yes." I say.

" Why? Why are you doing this." She asks her father.

" Don't you want daddy to buy you nice things?" He asks.

" No. Not like this." She says.

" Do you want daddy to go to jail?" He asks.

" Don't drag her into this." I say through my teeth.

" If you really want money, I'll sell all my toys. Just don't hurt Aunt Jinx." She sobs.

" It's too late. I need to finish them all now." He says. A flock of griffons come in through the chimney. A griffon picks up Twilight and throws her across the room. She screams. I hear a loud thump. Applejack kicks down the door.

" What in tarnation is goin' on in here?" Applejack asks.

" Take care of the griffons. I'm going to try to get Filthy Rich!" I say.

" Tie him up with this." Applejack says handing me a rope. Pinkie Pie fires her party cannon launching several Griffons into the air.

" Hurry up, Sprinkles! He's trying to get out the back door." Rainbow Dash says.

" I won't let him." I say. Fluttershy is chased behind the machine and Rainbow Dash uses an aerial attack on the griffons. Fluttershy gabs the bits from the machine and throws it at the griffons. I grab Filthy Rich by the tail with my teeth and levitate the rope with my horn.

Clovermane levitates the rope and ties it around my legs. Wait! Why would she protect him. He's a crook. I'm her sister. He picks me up by the neck and drops me onto the conveyer belt. I inch closer and closer to the coin crusher. I watch as the gold slates ahead of me are crushed into coin shaped bits.

" Now you will never find Princess Cloudstar." He says. I try to roll my self off the edge of the machine. He pushes me back towards the middle with his hooves. My horn glows and his tail gets caught in the conveyer belt. I close my eyes tightly waiting to be squished like an ant. Oh Celestia, please help me! Thunderwing and Rainbow Dash carry me off the conveyer belt and onto the ground. I watch Filthy Rich struggling to get free and screaming his head off.

" No! No! Nooo!" He howls.

The crusher goes down on top of him and I hear his bones snapping out of the machine's force. Blood comes out in all directions and there are coin shaped bits of blood, flesh and bone. The Filthy Rich bits are then dumped into the oven. I feel my stomach getting queasy. I levitate the ropes off my feet.

The cutie mark crusaders scream and cry hysterically. Diamond Tiara just stands completely still with her eyes like saucers. She doesn't move or take a breath. She makes a small whimper and falls down to her knees. The crusaders put their hooves on her trembling shoulders. I start to accept the fact that the four fillies will be scarred for life and probably will never be the same again. They will be haunted by their nightmares for the rest of their lives and I am no different.

" Jinx, how could you? He meant everything to me." Clovermane yells. Within seconds her tears turn into crazy laughter. She goes over to the gold boiler.

" Clover, I'm sorry." I beg. She ignores me and stands towards the edge of the boiling gold. " Stop! What are you doing?"

Without an answer she shrieks and dives into the pot of melting gold. I gasp. How could she do such a thing? My mind goes to panic, to sadness, to rage within seconds. I stare at the pot trembling with anger and my mouth hangs open.

I levitate my shovel and swing it at the griffons with blind fury. I didn't know who I was hitting and I don't care. The griffons dig their tallons into my flesh but I can't feel a thing. I let out a deafening scream and knock a griffon's head clean off with one powerful swat of my shovel. Derpy stands cornered by three of the griffons.

" This one's for Gilda." One of them says slamming her head with a broken metal pipe from the machine. Derpy drops to her side and kicks her legs in the air. I levitate my shovel and gallop at them with full speed and hit all three of them with one swat.

Fluttershy soars on top of them. " Derpy wasn't bothering you. She was just playing with the buttons on the machine. How dare you hurt her. You better say you're sorry right now!" Fluttershy scolds. The griffons look at each other and fly through the back door.

" I thought she was afraid of griffons." Pinkie Pie says.

" I did too." Rainbow Dash says.

" Derpy!" Rainbow Dash says lifting her bleeding head up off the ground. Derpy's crossed eyes fill with tears.

" You're going to be okay, Derpy." Twilight says listening to her heavy breathing.

" We'll do anything we can to help you." Applejack says.

" We promise." Honey Flower says.

" Don't leave." Derpy Hooves says.

" We're not leaving. We're right here." Fluttershy says.

" Come on, Tiara. You're coming with me." I say gently.

" What about mommy?" She asks. I look over at the boiler and turn it off.

" Nurse Red Heart is a few blocks away." Thunderwing says.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony

We gallop out of the factory as fast as our hooves could carry us leaving a trail of blood behind us. We cross the bridge and cross the dirt path. I turn the corner and skid to a halt. There's a mob of mares who are claiming to be the princess. The mayor is taking each of their hoof prints one at a time. We push and shove our way through the crowd of mares. Honey Flower nearly gets trampled on the way out.

" Every pony out of the way. Some pony's hurt." I shout over everypony. There' a long silence. The nosey mares gather around us to see Derpy's wound. I mentally scold myself for making a big scene.

" Give her some room to breathe, everypony." The mayor says.

" Oh, it's only Derpy." Somepony in the crowd says. Everypony continues on with their business.

hold the door open for Thunderwing so he could get Derpy through the entrance safely. Thunderwing looses his footing, but catches himself. Derpy Hooves mumbles incoherently to herself. Fluttershy holds her hoof.

" Derpy, could you hear me?" Fluttershy asks. Derpy's leg twitches and she grunts.

" We'll take care of you." Rainbow Dash says.

" How many fingers am I holding?" Pinkie Pie asks holding up her hoof.

" Four hundred twenty six." Derpy Hooves mumbles holding her head.

" Preytell,what is a finger?" I ask.

" Oh, right! I don't have any fingers." Pinkie says. She didn't answer my question. I guess this is another fourth wall thing.

I give Derpy Hooves a quick good luck spell before Nurse Redheart and carry her stretcher out of the waiting room. I shouldn't have brought her to the factory. I should find Princess Cloudstar on my own instead of dragging every pony else in danger.

" After we find out what happens to Derpy, I want you all to go home. I need to find Princess Cloudstar alone. I don't want anypony else to get hurt because of me." I say.

" Sprinkle Jinx, it's not your fault." Honey Flower says.

" We've already got this far. I want to stick with you to the end.." Thunderwing says. Our conversation is interrupted by the doctor's voices.

" The X-rays don't look good." Dr: Hooves says from down the hall.

" We need to give her emergency brain surgery immediately." Nurse Redheart says from the other room.

" It seems like she's suffered some serious head trauma in the past." Dr. Hooves says.

I pace back and forth in the waiting room. I haven't eaten all day but I'm not a bit hungry. Diamond Tiara taps me with her hoof.

" Aunt Jinx, I don't want Derpy to die." Diamond Tiara says.

" I can't stop it." I say.

" Do you think she's going to make it?" Scootaloo asks.

" I guess we'll just have to wait and see." I say.

" What about Rarity?" Sweetie Bell asks.

" She seemed pretty okay to me." Apple Bloom says.

" Worrying doesn't solve our problems. Nopony knows what will happen to Derpy. Only time will tell." Twilight says putting down a magazine she's reading.

"All we can do is hope for the best." Applejack says taking off her hat.

" Can we draw some get well cards?" Apple Bloom asks.

" That sounds like a great idea." Honey Flower says.

The cutie mark crusaders and Diamond Tiara sit on the ground and draw flowers, hearts and stars. Scootaloo grabs a yellow crayon.

" Hey, I was using that!" Diamond Tiara says angrily. I clear my throat. " But, you can use it if you want."

" Stay in the lines there, Sweetie Bell." Thunderwing says.

" I'm going to draw an envelope with a muffin on it. Derpy loves to deliver mail and eat muffins." Apple Bloom says.

" Very creative." Thunderwing says looking at her picture. I hear the door open. Everypony stops in their tracks and the room fades into silence. My heart skips a beat.

" I have some news about Derpy." Doctor Hooves says in a low voice. I swallow a lump in my throat. "I'm afraid she won't be delivering mail anymore."

Nurse Redheart trots over and places a bag on the table. I feel something hard inside.

" This was found in her brain when we were performing the surgery." Nurse Redheart says. I feel something hard inside the bag. I shake it upside down. A sharp object hit's the floor. It's a horn. I narrow my eyes at Doctor Hooves. How dare he scare everypony half to death.

" She's an alicorn?" Honey Flower asks.

" But wouldn't that make her-" Thunderwing says.

" A princess?" I ask.

" How could she? How would she? How?" Rainbow Dash babbles.

" She must have lost her horn a long time ago because the brain tissue around it healed." says.

" She must have lodged her horn into her head when she fell out the window that night." Thunderwing says.

" But how would Derpy Hooves escape from the Diamond Dogs?" Honey Flower asks.

" You can go see her if you want. She might be a little groggy though." Nurse Redheart says.

Derpy lies motionless on the cot with bandages wrapped around her head.

" Derpy Hooves, could you tell me a little about your childhood?" I ask.

" Um, I woke up in a dark tunnel full of dogs and they told me to look for gems. I found a big gem and I wanted to bring it to them. I pulled on it so hard that the whole tunnel fell down. Then I saw a big bright ball in the sky. It hurt to look at it but I wanted to follow it. Then I saw Rainbow Dash. She asked me who I was and I told her I didn't know what my name was. Then she asked me if I was lost and where my mom and dad was. I told her that I didn't know who my mom and dad was. Then she named me Derpy Hooves and I lived in Cloudsdale with her and she taught me how to fly. The ponies there asked me to send mail to their homes. So I did." Derpy says.

I let out a sigh of satisfaction. I can't wait to tell Cadence that I found her sister Cloudstar. She'll be so surprised. It'll be so wonderful to see them reunited after fifteen long years of separation.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony

I knock on Princess Cadence's front door. The door opens a tiny crack.

" Go away. You're not the princess." Prince Shining Armor says slamming the door in my face.

" I know I'm not the princess. I'm Sprinklejinx, your wife's student. I think I found your sister in law." I say.

He flings the door open and tackles me to the ground.

" I'm so sorry. I thought you were one of those crazy mares who lie about being the princess. That makes Cadence very upset." Shining Armor says grinning from ear to ear. I must have forgot that wearing a dress makes me look like some pony important. No wonder I almost scared him away, Rarity's dress makes me look like a princess wanna be.

" May I talk to Cadence?" I ask and bow down to him.

" Of course. A friend of Cadence is a friend of mine. Come on in." He says.

" I met your sister Twilight Sparkle. Her and her friends looked all over for Cloudstar." I say.

" So where is she?" Shining Armor asks walking up the stairs to Cadence's room.

" She's at the hospital. She got bashed over the head with a pipe." I say.

" How did that happen?" Shining Armor asks.

" She was attacked by Griffons. She got brain surgery but she's a little better now." I say.

" That's awful." He says.

" Who are you talking to, Shining Armor?" Cadence asks.

" It's Sprinkles. She found your sister." He says jumping up and down like a child.

She throws her quill and her scroll in the air an gallops over to me. Tears of joy trickle down her cheeks.

" I can't believe you found her after all these years." She says wrapping her hooves around my neck.

" She's at the hospital. Would you like to go see her?" I ask.

" Do we ever?" She says following me to the hospital.

Cadence peeks her head in Derpy's and watches her sleep for a few seconds.

" Are you sure we're not in the wrong room?" Shining Armor is.

I give them the bag with the grey horn inside along with the fifty thousand bits.

" Positive." I respond. They look at each other and look at the slumbering Pegasus with gauss wrapped around her head.

" Is there anything we could do to repay you?" Princess Cadence asks.

" Don't worry about it. It's no big deal. I'll give you three some time alone." I say. Watching Cadence and Cloudstar reunite makes me miss my sister. Why would she tie me like that. Didn't she care about me?

I trot into the waiting room to see how the others were doing. Twilight, the crusaders, and her friends have already left.

" Aunt Jinx, are we going back to Fillydelphia?" Diamond Tiara asks.

" I think I like it here at Ponyville. I don't really miss the city life that much." I say.

" So you're staying?" Thunderwing asks. I nod so quickly that the bow nearly falls off my head.

" Where are you going to stay?" Honey Flower asks.

" Why don't you live in daddy's factory. No pony is using it. I won't even have to pack." Diamond Tiara says.

" What am I going to do with all that space?" I ask.

" We can make it into an office for your detective work." Honey Flower says.

" I like that plan." I say.

" I'll show you around when we get there." Diamond Tiara says.

I say goodnight to Prince

Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and Derpy Hooves before leaving the hospital.

After Diamond Tiara shows me all around the building I trot into the factory room. I pull Clover mane's body out of the machine and take it to the mausoleum. The corpse hardly even looks like her. Her mane, coat and tail are burned off. Pieces of her pink flesh are missing and gold liquid is pouring out of her.

The insects feed on her body. The insects stop and pair into groups of two. They put their front legs around each other like they're hugging. " Just as I suspected." I whisper to myself. "Love poisoning." That's the only explanation. Why else would she love a greedy swine like him.

When I get home Diamond Tiara is already in her room sleeping. Her eyes are moist with tears. She must have wept herself to sleep. I go to my room across the hall. I plop myself on the massive double bed and pull the blanket over myself.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony

Epilogue

Two Weeks Later

I am making cookies with Diamond Tiara. It's her reward for making it in sixth place in the spelling bee. She didn't win it, but she got in the top ten. That's better than I would have done. I stir the cookie dough in with the flour and chocolate chips. I fill another measuring cup with chocolate chips.

" I want to dump it in the bowl." Diamond Tiara whines.

" Alright." I say.

She carefully climbs on a stool to reach the counter top. Out of nowhere the royal trumpets blast from town hall. Diamond Tiara jumps in the air and all the chocolate chips scatter across the floor. I'll clean it up later, they'll probably be announcing the return of Princess Cloudstar.

I take Diamond Tiara to the back of the crowd. Princess Celestia stands behind the podium. Her mouth moves but Nopony could hear what she is saying.

" Derpy broke the microphone." The mayor says. I could faintly hear Celestia's voice. She coughs and strains her voice. Princess Luna pushes Celestia out of the way.

" Citizens of Ponyville, may I have your attention, please? We are gathered here this afternoon to welcome Princess Cloudstar back to our kingdom. As you all know Princess Cloudstar has been missing for over fifteen years. At last she has returned thanks to ten courageous ponies. Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for, we bring you Princess Cloudstar." Luna says in her loud Canterlot speak.

Princess Celestia pulls back red curtains. Shining Armor and Princess Cadence push her wheel chair to the podium. Cloudstar stands up and takes off her bandages. The ponies in the crowd look at each other disbelief.

" Princess Cloudstar, would you like to say anything to your people?" Chrysalis asks.

" You may all call me Derpy Hooves!" She says. Princess Celestia hands Derpy the crown. Derpy stares at it for a few seconds and then looks at every pony else's crown on the stage. Just like a muffin, she puts the crown on the top of her head all by herself.

Four or five ponies bow followed by seven other ponies until ever pony joins in. Then they all get up and stomp their hooves on the ground and applaud Derpy Hooves. I look up and see Rarity's curly purple tail in my face. She looks much better than when I last saw her. I feel somepony tap my shoulder.

" Hi, Sprinkles. If you don't mind, I would like to borrow your shovel. I want to plant berry bushes all around Ponyville." Honey Flower says.

" Sure you can." I say levitating her the shovel.

" Thanks." She says with the shovel in her teeth.

" No problem." I say. She waves goodbye and gallops through the audience. Suddenly, a black plastic bag is put over my head. I feel my body being lifted off the ground. I hear Thunderwing snickering.

" What the heck are you idiots doing?" I ask. He doesn't answer he just keeps chuckling. " Yeah, real funny you wack job. I could suffocate in here." I say trying to jab a hole in the bag with my horn. " Where do you think your taking me?" I ask. He does a loopy loop in the air. " I think I'm going to hurl."

" You need to learn to lighten up." Honey Flower says.

" I don't need my shovel. I'm going to rip this bag into a million pieces." I say.

" Don't be such a party pooper, Sprinkles." Thunderwing says.

" Shhhh…" Honey Flower whispers. I hear a door shut behind me. The bag is taken off my head.

" Surprise!" Pinkie yells and jumps behind the table. I'm at my house. Instead of the dull sophisticated furniture they remodeled it to make it more homey. The factory machines on the bottom floor are replaced with desks and detective equipment. They even have a microscope! My office is white with all different color hoof prints on the walls. I look at the name tags on the desks. One desk has my name on it, the second one has Thunderwing's name on it and the third has Honey Flower's name on it.

"Congratulations, Sprinklejinx! Yall did great findin' that princess." Applejack says.

" I'm so happy to hear that you're not going to Fillydelphia, Dahling." Rarity says.

" We'd miss you." Fluttershy says.

" I'll have to show you my Sonic Rainboom some time." Rainbow Dash says.

" Thank you all so much. How did you do all of this?" I ask.

" Cadence gave us the fifty thousand back. We figured if you were staying here you would need a place to work at." Honey Flower says.

" This place has everything!" I say holding a stapler.

" We brought you this filing cabinet." Twilight says. I open up the drawer to see how much space is inside. There is a tiny slip of paper inside. I read it silently to myself. **_You are a character in a fictional story. There is a human called TheSnarkKnight30 who controls our lives for pleasure. That's what the fourth wall is. Don't tell Twilight I told you this or I will get in super sized trouble._**

I put it back in the drawer and try to forget about it and enjoy the party. Pinkie Pie is crazy anyway. Who would want to write a story about a unicorn detective that beats everypony with a shovel? That's just ridiculous. There's no such thing as a Snark Knight. Or is there?

THE END

**Author's Note:**

This is a special thank you to Emmo13 and all the nameless guests for the support. I have already teamed up with Emmo13 to write a sequel for this story and her story called Gentle Dream. It will be posted on her page soon. It's called The Dream Chase Case. I hope you enjoyed My Little Pony: Ignorance is Bliss.


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